Kentucky’s House Health Services Committee expands critical care for survivors of sexual violence.
A recent bill has passed Kentucky’s House Health Services Committee that could expand critical care for survivors of sexual violence.
House Bill 134 was created in the aftermath of a report released by the state’s Legislative Research Commission which details the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) throughout Kentucky.
These nurses are extensively trained in trauma informed, safe, and specialized practices for collecting rape kits and offering follow-up care to sexual assault survivors.
The Commission’s report also states that 100 of Kentucky’s 120 counties lack a SANE-equipped hospital. To meet this certification requirement, hospitals must have a sexual assault nurse examiner on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Rep. Rebecca Raymer sponsored the bill and believes it is necessary due to Kentucky’s “staggering statistics around sexual assault,” which reveal that “around 39% of women” and “18% of men in Kentucky will experience sexual violence at some point in their lives.” This data only represents trends that have been recorded – many instances of sexual violence remain unreported.
House Bill 134 seeks to develop a state registry of certified nurses to provide care to patients who have been sexually assaulted. This proposal would increase the amount of available providers and allow for survivors to have accessible care closer to home.
“I heard accounts about a woman who had been a victim of a sexual assault,” Raymer said, acknowledging that the woman “came to a hospital and then was told there was not a SANE on staff. And unfortunately, that woman chose not to go to the other facility, and did not get the kit, and did not report the rape.”
The bill also directs Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services to enlist a statewide SANE coordinator, who would hire and train providers as well as collaborating with community partners such as law enforcement, rape crisis centers, and more.
The Kentucky Hospital Association, the Kentucky Board of Nursing, and the Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee will aid the cabinet, and Raymer hopes that these efforts will ensure SANE coverage for all Kentucky hospitals.
Melissa Gilpin, a sexual assault nurse examiner of more than 20 years, voiced her support for the new legislation: “I have taken care of hundreds of survivors,” she said, “and this is more important than you can imagine.”
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
